At the Honeywell Process Solutions User Meet in India, 2010
Honeywell Process Solutions India organized its annual User Meet on 30th & 31st Aug 2010 at Madh Island, Mumbai on the theme of ‘Optimize. Innovate. Sustain.’ The event saw an overwhelming participation from companies across all industry segments and focused on providing solutions to increase business performance & protect automation investments.
With an impressive Technology Showcase of integrated solutions for the process industry and an interactive Panel Discussion with industry experts, attendees acknowledged the fact that the event provided a platform to learn about the latest in technology and trends, share best practices and network with Industry peers.Conducted at The Retreat, a quiet beach resort in Madh Island, Mumbai, the event addressed the priorities of the Indian process industry while also providing attendees with the perfect getaway from a busy schedule.
Addressing Business Priorities
The current economic climate is making many industries re-evaluate their operational performance and expenditures. The focus is on improved ROI. Hence, the urgent need to reduce operational costs, increase product throughput and quality, reduced energy consumption and minimize risks. All this and more can be best achieved by optimizing the lifecycle of assets and investments and ensuring sustained performance. Additionally, with recent incidents across the globe, safety & security has become high priority for business leaders.
In such a scenario, the prime concern of Operations and Maintenance managers is to optimize, innovate and sustain their automation investments while also ensuring the safety of their plant, process and people, as a single major incident can wipe out the entire bottom line of the plant. The range of sessions covered in the Honeywell Process Solutions User Meet addressed these specific industry needs. The event was categorized into three tracks:• Optimize: Gain the Competitive Edge with Enhanced Reliability• Innovate: Dynamic Solutions. Endless Possibilities.• Sustain: Integrated Approach to Plant Safety
Safety First
With Safety being on the top of the list it was only befitting that Mr. N. K. Khosla, Executive Director - Safety, Health and Environment of Indian Oil Corporation inaugurated the user meet as Chief Guest. In his address he stressed on how Safety plays a major role in any process plant and the impact it can have if not given due importance.
He urged the gathering of the industry’s best engineers and suppliers to work in collaboration to innovate on making automation more effective and safe while also protecting the investments made in the area.
Spotlight
The Technology Showcase demonstrated the power of Integration. With a variety of solutions ranging from field, fire and gas, and control to performance enhancement, optimization and wireless solutions being integrated to the master control – Honeywell Experion, the technology showcase provided a unique experience of the benefits of a well integrated solution. 
Demonstration of Honeywell One Wireless Solutions The Panel Discussion on “Life Cycle Management” was an interactive knowledge sharing opportunity. With industry experts like Mr.
Prabhakar Sethi, Mr., D.K. Sharma of HPCL, and Mr. Sengupta of IOCL on the panel, the discussion revolved around the issues of rapid change of technology and its impact in the automation arena and challenges in maintaining open systems.
It concluded on a collaborative note urging the Industry and the automation vendors to work together and overcome the challenges presented by rapidly changing technology.
Panel Discussion on "Lifecycle Management" - From Left to Right: Mr. Jon Lippin, Mr. D Sengupta, Mr. Prabhakar Sethi, Mr. D. K. Sharma, Mr. Hemant Joshi
Optimize: Gain the Competitive Edge with Enhanced Reliability
Better reliability. Increased uptime. Improved performance. It is clear that enhanced reliability is key to stay on top of the pack in a dynamic marketplace.
Additionally, synergy between Operations and Maintenance is critical in the development, execution and sustainability of strategies which intern improves reliability and helps avoid unplanned downtime.Track 1 of the event was dedicated to Reliability. It discussed solutions to drive change in order to optimize the performance, capacity and availability of an installed system. The various sessions covered topics such as ‘Technology to Enhance Operations & Maintenance Synergy’, ‘Improving Return on Operations & Capital Investment with Operator Training’ and a Case Study on how HPCL enhanced Operator Effectiveness presented by Mr.
Satish Kumar, Manager Operations, HPCL.Mr. Satish Kumar shared how the implementation of Operator Driven Reliability solution helped empower the HPCL field crew with reliable and accurate data for analysis resulting in increased work force productivity and improved problem resolution.
Innovate: Dynamic Solutions. Endless Possibilities
In dynamic environments, innovations are critical to success. In a scenario where ‘change’ is the only constant, innovating to improve efficiency, productivity and performance helps companies grow and stay ahead. Track 2 focused on innovative solutions that help the process industry explore endless possibilities to maximize the potential of installations. It covered topics like ‘Enhance & Sustain Control Loop Performance’, ‘Risk Free Migration’ and highlighted Honeywell's commitment to innovation by providing an understanding of their technology roadmap and its benefits to customers.Mr.
S.K. Mandal, Chief Engineer, ONGC, Uran and Mr. Gaurav Shrowti, Sr.Manager, GC-ISBL Nagothane, shared on the topic of ‘Risk Free Migration of Control Systems’.
The main challenges of migration in a running plant include availability of shutdown period, lack of documentation of the earlier system, space constraints, etc. Both customers pointed out how meticulous planning and proper co-ordination between them and Honeywell helped them migrate to the latest solution / platform with minimal constrains within the stipulated period of time.
Sustain: Integrated Approach to Plant Safety
Protecting people, assets and profitability demands a holistic safety view. To achieve higher levels of plant safety, a comprehensive and integrated approach to safety is necessary. Such an approach must incorporate consistent and effective processes and procedures.The perfect example of the same was the case study presented Mr. Hemal Shah of Reliance Industries Jamnagar on how Reliance Improved Safety with Integrated Fire & Gas and CCTV Systems.
The main benefits included:• Increased reliability and improved safety with Honeywell’s Safety Manager• Early detection of unwanted events• Timely completion of project paid off the investmentRecent events around the world and India have brought to the forefront the importance of process safety and the role of automation in achieving highest standards of Safety. This track focused on elements recommended by the Abnormal Situation Management consortium like Layers of Protection, Anatomy of Disaster, adhering to safety standards and critical infrastructure protection to help in early identification and protect plant, people and processes.Several other relevant topics that help sustain plant profitability such as ‘Addressing the Issue of Critical Skills Gap?’
and ‘Corrosion Management’ were also discussed in this track.
Unwind
All work and no play? To allow customers the opportunity to unwind, Honeywell organized an evening of entertainment. This included the famous musician Milind Date who energized the audience with his flute performance, followed by a musical performance from the winners of Idea Rocks India – Lambada. The evening also included dance performances. The program drew to a close with a surprise performance of comedy and songs by Mr. Sunil Kumar from HPCL.
Kudos to his display of spontaneous talent.
Conclusion
The two day residential conference engaged customers with stimulating sessions, inspiring case studies, an exclusive technology showcase and an industry led panel discussion. According to Honeywell, factors such as an uncertain economy, resource constrains, safety and security threats and impact of environmental issues are the prime concerns of the process industry. Honeywell is committed towards addressing these concerns with their ever growing basket of innovative solutions and with a strong focus on their well defined strategic direction namely Safety, Reliability, Efficiency, Sustainability and Flawless Startup.
